The first-ever Nou Praat Jy! public speaking competition, hosted at Curro Durbanville High School on 25 June, was a resounding success, bringing together top high school teams from across various provinces to celebrate Afrikaans in all its colour and sound.
Designed as a dynamic duet-style contest, learners delivered paired speeches under the theme Afrikaans – ’n taal van kleure en klank, marking the language’s 100-year milestone as an official language. The format encouraged conversational delivery and proudly spotlighted regional dialects of Afrikaans.
Individual accolades went to the top speakers in both Home Language and First Additional Language categories. Among them:
- Best Junior First Additional Language speaker: Hareem Amir (Curro Century City)
- Best Senior First Additional Language speakers: Ngcali Dantile & Madison-Mãe Alexander (Curro Durbanville High School)
- Best Junior Home Language speaker: Risa Burger (Curro Durbanville High School)
- Beste Senior Home Language speaker: Lara Slabber (Hoërskool Stellenbosch)
Download the list of winners here.
The winning schools and learners walked away with impressive cash prizes, with R10 000 awarded to the top teams in each category. The competition formed part of Curro Durbanville’s Kultura Festival, a week-long celebration featuring acclaimed artists like Sandra Prinsloo, Early B and Francois van Coke, as well as a local wine festival.